Nation briefs 3/17/16

Chicago voters oust prosecutor

CHICAGO -- Voters ousted the Chicago area's top prosecutor Tuesday, backing Democratic primary challenger Kim Foxx in a campaign dominated by questions about Cook County State's Attorney Anita Alvarez's handling of the shooting death of a black teenager at the hands of a white police officer. Foxx, a onetime chief of staff to the county board president, was among the strongest critics of Alvarez over the Laquan McDonald shooting. The teenager was shot 16 times in 2014, an incident captured on squad-car video. Alvarez charged the officer with murder, but not until November, more than a year after the incident and after a judge ordered city officials to release the tape publicly. The video sparked near daily protests, with activists who called the investigation a "cover up" showing up at Alvarez's office, home and public appearances. It put Alvarez on the defensive. She explained the yearlong investigation by calling it complex and meticulous.

Court overturns 20-year-old DUI

FARGO, N.D. -- The North Dakota Supreme Court overturned the conviction of a man who was tried last year on a 20-year-old drunken driving charge. Jason Gale was arrested for drunken driving in 1995 in Grand Forks but wasn't called to court until July, when a jury found him guilty. Gale's attorney, Scott Brand, argued to justices in December the delay violated Gale's right to a speedy trial. The opinion released late Tuesday said justices can't presume a 20-year-old case was "diligently prosecuted when there is no evidence of any prosecution at all," and two decades is an unprecedented amount of time for a DUI case to remain idle. Grand Forks city prosecutor Kristi Pettit Venhuizen Venhuizen had argued Gale made a concerted effort to avoid prosecution, and there was ample evidence to pursue the case. But Brand said Gale moved to Colorado shortly after the DUI arrest and was told by a previous lawyer he would settle the case. Later, Gale was involved in separate court cases in two North Dakota counties, and authorities failed to flag the outstanding warrant. Venhuizen said the city sent Gale three notices two decades ago telling him the case was not settled. Gale said he wasn't aware of the warrant until he discovered it while applying for a job earlier this year.

Light saber mistaken for gun

EAST FARMINGDALE, N.Y. -- A New York college that went on lockdown over a report of a gun on campus said the weapon turned out to be a light saber. Students and staff members at Farmingdale State College on Long Island were told to shelter in place Wednesday while police investigated a report someone was assembling a rifle in a school parking lot. College spokeswoman Kathryn Coley said the rifle was a "Star Wars" toy.

-- From wire reports